This invention relates to carton blank feed apparatus and, more particularly, to a new and improved adjustment mechanism therefor and assembly therefor.
In the packaging industry, flat carton blanks are formed from pre-printed flat paper packaging materials by art and score manufacturing operations. In assembly and filling, the flat carton blanks are unfolded to provide polyhedron packages to be filled with particular goods. In the beer and beverage industry, multiple container packages (e.g., six, eight, twelve, etc.) are commonly utilized.
Carton blanks for multiple container packages are somewhat bulky and subject to variation in thickness and flatness. During assembly and erection of such carton blanks, the carton blanks are stacked for feeding to assembly and erection machines. Thus, one carton of a stack of cartons must be separated from the stack of cartons for feeding to the machines.
The R. A. Jones and Company, Inc. of P.O. Box 485, Cincinnati, Ohio 45201, has developed and marketed a feed mechanism which is sold under the trademark Roto-Flo. This mechanism comprises a rotary assembly including a blade device which peels off a carton from one end of a stack of cartons. The blade device is spaced from an axially adjacent surface to provide a gap which is slightly larger than the nominal thickness of the carton which must enter the gap during the process of removal from the stack of cartons. The Roto-Flo mechanism has gap adjustment means comprising a plurality of bolts with lock nuts. In order to adjust the gap, the operation of the associated equipment must be terminated. The Roto-Flo gap adjustment mechanism required equipment down time of as much as twenty minutes. In some operations, gap adjustment may be required as often as six to eight or more times per eight hour shift. In addition, replacement of the blade device requires a substantial amount of time.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a gap adjustment mechanism which is of simple construction and easy to operate in a small amount of time. Another object is to provide an improved assembly and mounting of the blade device whereby the blade device may be more easily assembled and removed.
In general, the present invention comprises a micrometer type gap adjustment means with only a single rotatable shaft and associated fixed pins holding the blade device on the assembly. In addition, the blade device is mounted in a manner enabling removal and replacement without disassembly of other components.